Tag Archive: origin

Topics of this series will include things like source citations, expectations and pitfalls, social media as a potential tool, and so on. My hope with this is (as always) to provide you a springboard from which to dive in to your research- with fresh perspective, ivigoration, and possibly even some wisdom (whether completely new or simply reminded. As always, your perspective is helpful and wanted, so please add your comments questions and suggestions as well.

Our last entry (Genealogy for the Future, Issue # 4, Medical History is a MUST DO If You Want a Complete Family Tree) discussed the importance of medical histories; this got me to thinking: modern medicine has either cured many of the old diseases or helped us to better understand them, and therefore more appropriately …

It’s a long known fact that most health related issues are passed down genetically- from whether or not you need glasses to your cholesterol levels, whether you suffer from depression to what type of arthritis you have as well as many cancers. This fact makes a comprehensive medical history an important tool to help you better understand what your risks are and how to prevent things from actualizing where possible. By recognizing what diseases you’re at risk for you can make informed decisions about prevention and screening….

The concepts and perceived obligations that are intrinsic to tradition are so strong that they shape the very core of who we are and how we live. In fact, I would argue that traditions are the very cornerstone of culture, from one’s manner of speech to self presentation and lot in life to rebelling against convention and creating something new and different. This is one of the paradoxes that we in America live under – we have a long tradition of rebelling against convention ….

“The trick to getting your kids interested in the fine art of genealogy (which can at times be very tedious) is to make it fun. Children are naturally curious. They want to learn new things, they want to be involved and they want to feel good about what they’re doing. The important thing is to remember that kids need to feel connected …”

Genealogy isn’t just about digging up the past, it’s about keeping our history alive for the future, and also to help us understand better who we are in the now.
Who we are as individual people is largely owed to our family history, from the genes we’re made up of to the experiences and perspectives passed down to us during our most formative years….

OK- now that you’re on your way to discovering your family history and have begun to put the pieces together you notice that there are hundreds of online resources at your disposal: sites that provide birth, death, census, marriage, military, passenger manifestos, immigration records, news archives, and so on. Some of these sites offer free resources, some offer paid services and some offer both. So what’s the best route? The answer to this question is entirely up to you.

So you have talked with your family, gathered preliminary data, organized a timeline and you’re now ready for the next step- WONDERFUL! But where to start? Once upon a time, genealogy research meant traveling halfway around the world to collect records, and while this is a great way to get out and see the sites, meet new people (perhaps even a new cousin or two) and experience something new, most people can’t afford to go globe trotting for answers that might not be there. Luckily we have the internet!

So you’ve spent several spare Saturday afternoons enjoying and talking with family about past relatives, have compiled hours of recordings, books full of notes and images and are now wondering what kind of mess you’ve gotten yourself into…you are off to a fantastic start!

So you think you want to research your family history? Great – but where to start? It has been my experience that there is no library or database quite as amazing and eye opening as your living family. The absolute BEST place to get started is by talking to the family you have around you today- your parents, their parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and so forth. Take a voice recorder (with plenty of tapes/memory) and talk with them about your ancestors- even if they only know bits and pieces, it gives you precious insight and crumbs to follow (and it’s a wonderful excuse to spend some time with your elders)!